Hook for apertured board



April 30, .1957

D. E; CARDINAL, JR

HOOK FOR APERTURED BOARD.

Filed Jan. 25, 1955 ited Sttes Patent ()7 HOOK FOR APERTURED BOARD Daniel E. Cardinal, Jr., Evanston, Ill.

Application January 25, 1955, Serial No. 483,992 1 Claim. or. 248-217) This invention relates to article-supporting rack structures, and the present application is a continuation-inpart of my copending application filed October 14, 1954, Serial No. 462,310.

More particularly, the present invention is concerned with the provision of a rack structure adapted to support various types of articles, such as kitchen utensils, tools, clothing and the like, the articles being suspended from individual hooks detachably mounted upon an apertured board.

While apertured boards have heretofore been provided with wire hooks to support articles, the hooks were free to swing along or away from the face of the board and were often accidentally detached from the board during the removal of articles therefrom. It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a rack structure in which a hook is detachably secured against movement relative to the apertured board and will not readily become accidentally detached from the board.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a rack structure in which the board is formed with apertures arranged in pairs to receive two spaced portions of a hook, whereby the hook is detachably engaged against movement relative to the board.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a rack structure in which a hook is formed from a length of wire to provide a shank having an offset end for engagement with a board aperture and a boss for engagement within a companion aperture, the offset end and boss coacting to resist accidental displacement or movement of the hook relative to the board.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a rack hook structure in which a boss is formed on or welded to the shank of the hook for snug frictional engagement with the wall of an aperture in the board, the board being formed of material adapted to resiliently engage the boss.

The invention embodies other novel features, details of construction and arrangement of parts which are hereinafter set forth in the specification and claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View illustrating an article supporting rack structure embodying features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view showing the hook.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are side elevational views, each of which illustrate a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a front elevational view of the hook illustrated in Fig. 6.

Figs. 8, 9, l0 and 11 are side elevational views, each of which shows a modified form of the invention.

Referring now to the drawing for a better understanding of the invention and more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3 therein, the article supporting rack structure is shown as comprising a flat board 6 of square, rectangular or other shape, the board preferably being cut from fibrous 7 2,790,616 Patented Apr. 30, 1957 sheet material, such as Masonite, plywood, fiberboard or the like, and formed with rows of apertures. The apertures are shown as arranged in vertically aligned pairs, the upper aperture of each pair being indicated at 7 and the lower apertures at 8.

A plurality of hooks 9 are adapted to be detachably mounted upon the board 6 to support various types of articles (not shown) such as kitchen utensils, tools, garments, etc. In Figs. 1 to 3 in the drawing, the hook 9 is shown as comprising a length of steel wire bent to provide an elongated shank 11 having at its lower end a hook portion 12 extending outwardly and upwardly, the other end of the wire being bent rearwardly to provide a neck 12 and thence upwardly to provide a head 13. It will be noted that the shank, hook portion, neck and head are coplanar, and that the head extends substantially parallel to the shank.

A spherical steel boss 14 is welded, brazed or otherwise secured to the rear side of the shank 11 below the neck and head and coplanar therewith for snug frictional engagement within a board aperture 8, the spacing between the boss and neck being substantially equal to the spacing between related apertures 7 and 8. As set forth in my copending application, the diameter of the boss is greater than the diameter of the apertures 8, or the wire from which the hook is formed, whereby insertion of the boss into an aperture acts to compress the fibers adjacent thereto.

As the board 6 preferably comprises a somewhat resilient fibrous composition, the wall of the aperture 8 tends to conform and be complementary to the engaged surface of the spherical boss and this acts to yieldably resist outward displacement of the boss from the board. When the board is formed of Masonite or the like sheet material, the thickness thereof may be less than the diameter of the boss to further increase the resistance offered by the board to withdrawal of the boss therefrom.

In mounting a hook on the board, the head and neck are first inserted through an aperture 7, and the boss 14 is then pressed into a related aperture 8, as illustrated in Fig. 2. It will be noted that the boss 14 thus serves to resist movement of the hook relative to the board.

Fig. 4 illustrates a modified form of the invention in which a metallic boss 14a is formed circular in transverse section for snug engagement in :an aperture 8 and generally elliptical in longitudinal section and has one end thereof welded to the shank 11 of a hook 9.

Fig. 5 illustrates another modified form of the invention in which a metallic hook boss 14b is formed with coaxial frusto-conical surfaces 16 and 17 merging centrally of the boss to define :a circular ridge 18 of larger diameter than the apertures 8.

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate another modified form of the invention in which a metallic boss is formed with circumferentially spaced, longitudinally extending ridges 19 to bite into and frictionally engage the wall of an aperture 8, one end of the boss being welded to the shank of a hook 9 and the other end being chamfered at 21.

Fig. 8 shows another modified form of the invention in which a generally egg-shaped boss 14d is formed with longitudinally extending ridges and has one end thereof welded to the shank of a hook 9.

In Fig. 9, an externally threaded cylindrical boss 14a is welded at one end thereof to the shank 22 of a hook 23. In this form of the invention, the upper end of the shank may be bent rearwardly at 24 for engagement in an aperture 7, or may be straight, as indicated in dotted outline at 26.

Fig. 10 illustrates another modified form of the in vention in which a boss 14f in the form of a rivet is 3 welded to the shank 11 of a hook 9, the boss having a head '29 to engage the rears'urface of the'boa'rd 6.

Fig. 11 illustrates another modified form of the invention in which a boss 14gin the form of a metallic disc is welded to the shank 11 of a hook 9, the periphery of the disc being serrated axially to provide circumferentially spaced teeth 28.

While the invention has been shown in several forms, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that it isnot so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention.

I claim:

A hook member for detachable engagement with a board of compressible resilient material formed with a series of regularly spaced circular apertures, said hook member being composed of solid wire of lesser diameter than said apertures and comprising an elongated shank, a head offset rearwardly of said shank :and receivable in one of said apertures, a forwardly projecting hook portion on 2 the opposed end of said shank, a fixedly secured rearwardly projecting noncompressible boss member on said 4, shank intermediate said end portions and generally coplanar therewith, 'said 'boss being substantially cylindrical and having a diameter greater than that of said wire, the longitudinal axis thereof being substantially normal to said shank portion, said boss including circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending ridges adapted to bite into :and frictionally engage the wall of another one of said board apertures and to thereby coact with said rearwardly oifset portion to yieldably resist movement of said hook member when engaged on said board, relative to the board.

ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 783,649 Smith Feb. 28, 1905 1,013,006 Fairchild Dec. 26, 1911 2,498,623 Poupitch Feb. 21, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 869,120 Germany Mar. 2, 1953 710,030 Great Britain June 2, 1954 

